04 - Chapter 4
CHAPTER IV. The Omniscience of our Lord Jesus Christ- THAT our Savior is omniscient is flatly contradicted by Unitarians. But if we ’prove -he had this attribute of Jehovah, (and it is presumed that. no > one will pretend that God ever delegated his attributes,) that it belonged to our Savior, that he possessed it, we shall prove Unitarianism to be false in another fundamental point. Omniscience is that- attribute of God, by which he knows the thoughts, and even the imaginations of the thoughts of all hearts. He sees the end from the beginning, and truly knows all the intermediate circumstances. Now, if we can prove that this power was possessed by our Lord, we shall prove him, in his divine nature, to be God, or we must acknowledge that there are two beings possessing this attribute, which can be possessed by Jehovah alone; this again would be an absurdity. But we will bring forward the testimony of our Lord himself on this point. “As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father.” John 10:15 If this asserts the omniscience of the Father, which none, we think, will deny; it also proves the omniscience of the Son. What man would dare face his Maker with a blasphemy like this, and say’, “ I know all about him who made me, as well as he knows me?” What angel would dare lift up his head before the throne, and say, “ I know Him that sits on that throne as he knows me?” Angels would tremble to hear such blasphemy avowed by any created being! Indeed, it would be the height of blasphemy, for any created being, in heaven, or on earth, or in hell, to make such a statement as this! This testimony of Jesus Christ must make the council of anti-christ tremble. Remember that the Son states, that he knows the Father, in the same sense that the Father knows him. This includes the heighths and depths of omniscience! Even the mind of God was known by him; his plans, his designs, were all known; the stupendous scheme of salvation was concerted by the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, before alt worlds. But mark their love for man.
“Eternal love- Harp lift up thy voice on high Eternal Love Eternal sovereign love and sovereign grace, Wisdom, and power, and mercy infinite! The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, God, Devised the wondrous plan devised, achieved; And in achieving, made the marvel more.” But to the testimony again. “ Jesus knowing their thoughts.” Matthew 12:25. “ He knew what was in man, and- needed not that any should testify of man.” John 2:24. “Therefore, judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts, and then shall every man have praise of God.” 1 Corinthians 4:5. “Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, show whether of these two thou hast chosen.” Acts 1:24. “Lord, (said Peter,) thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee.” John 21:1-25; John 17:1-26. “I am he that searcheth the reins and the heart.” Revelation 2:23. We might multiply scripture testimony on this subject; but in the mouth of two or three witnesses, the truth will be established.
If these ’texts do not prove that out Lord Jesus was omniscient, there can be no proof brought from the sacred volume to sustain the idea that Jehovah is omniscient. We have then the same testimony of the omniscience of Christ that we have of his existence, for we have proved it by his own testimony and the testimony of his apostles. If we repose confidence in their testimony of ’the existence of such a person as Christ, why not place the same confidence in their testimony concerning his character. He so perfectly understood all the secret windings of the human soul, that he needed not that any should instruct him. Infidels generally acknowledge the existence of such a person as Jesus Christ; but his character they doubt. There Is, in fact, no person that knows that there is no- God, yet many doubt it. Neither is there any one that knows that Jesus Christ was not omniscient, yet some doubt it. This is all they can do, unless they are possessed with the attribute of omniscience themselves. Very many may be found, who have commenced doubting one truth of revelation after another, because it could not be completely comprehended by their feeble minds, until they have landed themselves on the dangerous shores of infidelity. The very moment that one truth which Is plainly taught in the Bible, is rejected, the way to infidelity is paved. To that individual “The gate of hell stands open night and day, Smooth the descent, and easy is the way!”
It seems to us to be marvellous credulity, for a man to believe that a creature, a finite being, created at first and still sustains the universe. And it is equally marvellous incredulity, to disbelieve in the omniscience of the Creator and Governor of the universe. A man that can believe that a creature made all things all intelligence^ in heaven and in earth ^-and yet that that creature did not possess the power of knowing all things of himself; that is, inherently, need never charge his fellow men with believing i{ mysteries,” while his own theory contains the mystery, that a, creature created himself!!
There is but one uncreated being; and Jesus Christ created all created beings: therefore, if he is a created being, he must have created himself; and if he is uncreated, he must be that one uncreated being, and consequently God. Now this proposition can be, and is, as clearly demonstrated, as that “two straight lines cannot enclose a space,” Indeed, it is an axiom, and needs no demonstration; for it is self-evident the moment it is mentioned. To say that a creature was uncreated is folly. And to say that an uncreated being is a creature, is consummate folly. Now Jesus Christ is either a creature wholly, or in part, or he is not. If he is uncreated in part, he is so far God. If he is a creature entire, he was self-created entire, or he did not MAKE all-things, as the Bible expressly declares; and this last ground makes us infidels. And is it the case that the Almighty Creator was not omniscient? If he was not, there is no being that is; and consequently there -is no God ’no all-wise God, in the universe! No such God as the Bible describes, and the fool had it right, when he said in his heart, “ There is no God.” If there is no such God as the Bible describes, it js probable there is none at all. While we follow out the logical result of the doctrine that makes the Creator himself, a creature, how it chills the. flames o.f devotion and piety; and how soul-abhorrent it is to the devoted follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. But to impress this thought on the mind of the reader, we will give it the form of a syllogism.
Jesus Christ created every creature in the universe.
Jesus Christ himself was a creature.
Therefore, Jesus Christ created himself.
There is no such thing as evading this, and this, with all its absurdity, is Unitarianism” naked, plain, unvarnished Unitarianism. But we will try the propositions of Trinitarians, by the same sollogistic method of reasoning. That being that is self-existent is God,.
Jesus Christ is self-existent.
Ergo:- Jesus Christ is God. The Lord Jesus Christ is either created or he is not; and here is the unequivocal, logical result of both propositions. Which do you choose?
If the Lord Jesus is a finite being, if ’he is not omniscient, paradventure while his children pray, his mind is occupied with some other business, and he will not know that they are calling upon him, and especially if he is finite, and occupies but one place at the same time, he is not able to meet with all that meet in. his name, and for his worship, and consequently cannot fulfill his precious promise. In this case, it would be totally unsafe to commit the keeping of our departing spirits into his hands, as did the holy Stephen. But with his own declarations before us, we will run all the risk there is in believing in his omnipresence, and omniscience.